Close and Closer Still
by Amledo
Summary: A mission is botched and a relationship only grows stronger. A fic in which Clint begins to realize his age and Thor is defiant. Schmoop comes standard. Asexual!Clint/Straight!Thor. Slight mention of Tony/Loki which can be ignored, I suppose. Set 25 years post movie.


(A/N: Woot, more Avengers fanfiction. This is another request fill for angelxofxmine and features Asexual!Clint/Straight!Thor with a mild hint of Tony/Loki. I think schmoop is a good word to describe what I'm doing here, a bit sadder than normal, but still schmoop. It also includes mentions of the rest of the team. I don't own the Avengers and I never will. And if anyone else has a request, they can feel free to ask for one, I'm feeling generous and up for a challenge. I will try to accommodate you if I can. Otherwise, on with the show!)

Close and Closer Still

There had been a call out for a minor incident. Hawkeye had responded alone, but Thor had tailed him just in case. He didn't want his boyfriend to think that he didn't trust him alone, but something in his gut had urged him to make sure that Clint was not out there without back up. And he thanked Odin that he had followed his gut.

The bad guy was mostly unremarkable, and Hawkeye had enough arrows to deal with it in short order. But it hadn't gone down that way. The man had an electromagnetic repulsion device in his watch like some strange Bond villain. He had been easily able to deflect several arrows until one found its mark deep in its master's upper arm. Hawkeye might have been fine, but for the fact that the arrowhead was loaded with sedative.

Thor had apprehended the criminal and carried Clint back to base, which was where they were now. Bruce had Hawkeye in one of the hospital beds, reversing the effects of the sedative and wrapping his wounded arm. The doctor wasn't even a medical doctor, but they all trusted him better than the SHIELD doctors and so most of their problems were brought to Bruce. Failing Bruce, Tony was passable as a combat medic, and if you could handle a tongue like a lash then Natasha was your woman.

"Hey big guy, he will be awake in a minute or two, want to come sit with him?" Bruce asked his hands not even free of the bloodied gloves he wore. Thor just gave a soundless nod before climbing into the bed beside Clint and wrapping an arm around the smaller man's shoulders. It always scared the life out of Thor to see his partner go down in the field, because it was never certain that he would get back up. Had it not been for Tony Clint would have been dead four months ago when his heart stopped after a particularly bad fall from a perch. It was understandable that Thor was a little gun shy.

"You followed me again, didn't you," Clint's voice was sleepy but clear and Thor had the decency to blush. They had fought about Thor's over cautious behavior before, which was why Thor had almost ignored his instincts.

"Yes. I'm sorry," Thor replied, getting it out of the way and waiting for the eventual anger, it never came. Clint just sighed and twisted himself so that he could tuck his head under Thor's chin.

"It's alright. I can't exactly be mad when you saved my hide, now can I?" Clint whispered, smiling when Thor's arms wrapped around him more carefully, holding him close. He didn't want to admit that for the tiniest moment when he was falling asleep on that rooftop, he had been afraid that he would never see Thor again. No one knew just how nervous he was being out by himself and if he fought with Thor about being over-protective it was only because he was unwilling to admit that he needed it.

"I really wouldn't have. I promise. It just felt wrong," Thor admitted quietly, kissing Clint's hair and relishing in the feeling of the other man against his chest.

"Every one of these has felt wrong ever since…I'm getting older Thor; there isn't an easy way around that. Maybe it's getting to be time that I stop being a field agent," Clint said, threading his fingers with Thor's and letting his body go lax. They had been a team for nearly 25 years, he had been with Thor for 23 of those, there were a younger generation of Avengers coming in, had been for a decade plus. But only recently had Clint begun to realize that he was in his 50's and that he wasn't getting any younger.

"You are not built for anything else," Thor lightly lifted Clint's head so that their eyes met. "Perhaps Loki and I can ask a boon from the Allfather," Thor whispered and Clint was not confused for a moment. Tony was older than he was and Loki had a very vested interest in the inventor's continued good health.

"You know that I would refuse it. I can't watch my friends age while I get younger," Clint whispered and Thor shook his head, kissing the archer's cheek.

"I would never do that to you, and Loki could not do it to Tony, we are a family. If the span of my years could but match your own, we could be a family for centuries to come and the Earth would have its mightiest heroes always on hand," Thor said and Clint took a moment to believe that the God had a reason to hope.

"Barring that, I think I'm going to see about applying to train the new recruits. I just need a break, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I knew when we got together that I wasn't always going to be around," Clint said gently, he was not in denial, and never had been, about the fact that he was mortal. He had spent months trying to convince Thor that they couldn't work because of the fact that one day; he would literally be too old to carry on living, now he saw that Thor had been trying to find a way around that. It didn't matter; he was still ready for the eventuality.

"I am not so willing to give up. I have pledged my life to you Clint, and that means defending you, even from nature's course," Thor said sincerely and Clint blushed. He reached up and carefully kissed Thor on the lips. It was a rare action between them, usually only reserved for times of great crisis and fear. They were together, and they had not had eyes for anyone else, but Thor was straight as could be and Clint did not generally like to be kissed.

"I love you, and I will always love you. You know that. Right?" Clint asked and was surprised when Thor leaned in and kissed him on the lips, fingers splaying over Clint's uninjured arm.

"And I will always love you. But I am by no means going to be without you and I need you to know that. Whichever direction your path takes, I walk beside you on it," Thor said firmly and Clint had to fight the urge to cry at the depth of meaning behind those words. He just bit his tongue and nodded, hugging Thor tightly and burying his face in the other man's chest. Being what he was, he had never expected to find someone that would love him the way he needed to be loved, Thor was a blessing. Whatever the outcome, he would never regret having loved the other man.

(A/N: Well, that's it. I might be persuaded to do a second chapter, but I don't know for right now where it will go. Hence it being complete. Oh, and angelxofxmine, it might take me another day or so, but you will be getting a double dose of the Clint/Thor pairing, because I had two ideas for it. Let me know what you thought folks.)


End file.
